Reviews by rowew:

2 caveats to this review. First, I thought Snowbound was one of the worst winter seasonals around, and the worst beer from Left Hand, so I was glad to see it go. Second, I'm on the rebound from a cold so some senses may be a bit muted.

Presentation: Label looks like tribal tattoo work, black and white. 12 oz longneck. Bottled on date was not readable. Only on the neck does it say this is Volume 1, Foreign Export Stout.

Appearance: Pours completely dark, average head that is mocha colored.

Smell: Roast, a bit of dark chocolate.

Taste: Nice combination of roast flavors and some bitterness, kind of like an espresso bitterness with a bit of the dark chocolate here too.

Overall impression: Nice beer for the cold weather we are having lately. This is much better than the beer it replaced, and is a nice addition to the winter beers out there.

More User Reviews:

Appearance: Deep, dark black. Some light creeps in from around the corners of the glass, but for the most part it is very dark. Has a thick chocolatey colored head which stays for the entire time.

Smell: Beautiful aroma of coffee, rich smoked hops, and even some hints of chocolate and licorice.

Taste: Absolutely delicious. I personally enjoy many different kinds of stouts, but this is definitely the best I've had in a while. Warm taste of espresso and malt instantly rushed into my mouth and didn't let up until the last drop. The licorice I smelled initially is more of an aftertaste and isn't really part of the initial blast of flavor during drinking.

Mouth Feel: Feels as silky smooth and warm as it tastes. Has a similar thick and creamy texture to many other stouts, but has a similar disposition to rich, dark coffee. A very interesting yet extremely pleasurable experience.

Drinkability: As I mentioned earlier in my review, I love stouts, and as such had 3 goblets of this fine brew before I recieved my meal, a steak burger, which it paired perfectly with. It goes down smooth and its rich dark taste hides its ABV, making it dangerously drinkable and incredibly enjoyable.

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with the roasted malts, licorice, molasses, and dark fruits pop first, followed by the coffee and dark chocolate notes. Licorice and molasses carry through the finish. Lightly bitter

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A great FES with some nice layers and depth of flavor. The 8.5% goes unnoticed, which makes it all too easy to drink. A solid seasonal indeed

This style of stout should be more popular,I hope to see more in the future.Poured at first seemed to be a jet black,after being held up to a strong light a ruby tint showed thru the darkness,a creamy one finger light mocha head atop that left one big drape of lace behind as it settled into a creamy mass.Awesome aromas,just complex as all get out,a mix of fudge cake and coffee,a slight alcohol dark fruit sweetness came thru as well.The flavors were just as complex, if not more,starting out with big coffee roast and dark chocolate,the alcohol lends some molasses and dark fruit,there is big earthy dryness in the finish that was just a great cap.The only thing that isnt great about this brew is just a little bit of a thinner feel,other than that its as good as it gets for the style in my opinion,not to sweet,just right!

It's sure'nuff black--not tar-black like some of the motor oils on here, but opaque in a true sense. The fizzy pour reminded me of Guiness and nitro stouts. The head, though, dissipates fairly quickly, leaving only a splotchy top on the cover with some hop-like stickiness around the edge. Without being extravagant, it looks genuinely good.

Smells like a foreign stout (read: Guiness). This one was obviously manufactured in Colorado, but what is it about these foreign stouts that smell like diluted and aerated? It's diluted in that it's like a watery malt smell and aerated like there's something else in there...problem is, that "something else" is like nothingness. It's like a malt ball with holes in it, or malt ball crumbs, or the dark matter that's empty mass in the Milky Way (I may have gone too far).

That light, airy vibe allows for a stout taste without an overbearing assault on the palate. The hop presence, however, bitterizes the beer. It's not, unfortunately, the yummy hoppiness-bite characteristic of IPAs. Instead, it's a dull, medicinal kick that tastes more like a Bayer than a beer. It's not exactly bad, but you're left wondering where's the chocolate? the licorice? the vanilla? the coffee? the ___? I realize it's not a double chocolate oatmeal or a vanilla coffee Russian Imperial, but is this what to expect from a "foreign stout?" It feels much drier than a Guiness (my template, obviously enough), and the watery stoutness with only a dry bitterness doesn't do wonders for the palate. On the contrary, the artist left something on the palette. (Ha!)

The puns and other literary devices I've used to describe this beverage might prove more memorable than the liquid itself. As I continue trying to decipher what's here, I detect a charcoal. There's a smoked quality without any food-worthy flavor. Liquid charcoal has its place, but nobody wants to drink it! It's not that bad, but I know I've enjoyed a foreign-style stout before; this one, however, you should leave on the shelf.

12oz bottle, best by date of 10/6/16. Pours nearly black with a smaller-sized tan head. Smells predominately of roasted malt with some chocolate and char. The taste follows very closely with roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, and char. Somewhat assertive roast, but still very smooth and even. Below average carbonation and medium body. Well done Export Stout.

12 ounce bottle, has a place on the label for "Bottled on" info, but alas, it is blank...Pours black under a retentive dark khaki head, thick film, sliding sheeting down to a collar, respectable bits of lace, the hole bit, not a bad looking glass of stout...roasty, light coffee and dark chocolate nose...flavorful, very smooth/velvety on the tongue, with more then ample notes of more chocolate, roast grains and dark stouty goodness...nice first offering in this hopefully varied and fruitful series from LHBC...I believe this was about $12.99 for the sixer from DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY...go get some and enjoy...

Dark brown with tan head. Nose is dark fruits, cocoa, malt and coffee. Flavor is led by more dark fruits, with a mocha coffee quality backing them up. Dark fruits hang on until the end, accompanying the coffee finish. A very approachable stout, but still flavorful.

The neck label reads Volume 1 I guess the seasonal will vary by style with the same name each year that daylight savings comes around. Pours completely opaque black with no light making it through not even the ruby highlights, head is creamy textured nice tan khaki hue going on. Lacing left behind is sporadiac with big chunks but definitely clings well to the sides of my chalice. Aroma is strong with the herbal mint like hop profile, dark roasted malts bring out a creamy dark chocolate bitterness strong roasted burnt coffee a nice underlying fruit note with a soft caramel presence as well. Flavor is big roasted malt presence brings out espresso bean hints of vanilla, caramel malt, with dark chocolate cocoa nibs. A soothing alcohol finish with herbal and mint toned hop flavors. Mouthfeel is creamy textured full bodied softly carbonated no complaints I let this one warm up a good bit and I'm glad that I did. Drinkability is smooth and the price tag is right what a value, a big foreign export stout for 1.69 a bottle I will be back for more of this stuff, what a god send for this time of year thanks to Left Hand out in Longmont, CO.